Due to the increasing popularity of golf as a year around sport, much has been done to improve equipment which is specifically, or to a significant degree, designed for use to protect players against inclement weather conditions. This application is directed to an article for the protection of golf cart riders during adverse conditions such as wind and rain.
There are existing devices of this type in the prior art. Looking at early developments, one will find various types of roofs and canopies on carts for protecting occupants primarily from the sun. A later U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,553 to Churchhill et al is somewhat related to applicant's invention as it discloses a rain curtain that is slidable along a channel around the sides of a golf cart roof of the type which has a special rear compartment for golf clubs. The Churchhill patent further includes a separate curtain to cover the specially formed club compartment and, according to Churchhill's teachings, the curtains are a substantially permanent attachment to the golf cart. When not in use they are compressed or drawn to one rear side.
The types of devices as described in the prior art are adequate in many respects but in other ways exhibit various disadvantages which lead to the result that few, if any, golfing establishments have provided these curtains and rain guards on their golf carts. Obviously the rain guards are an additional expense which many clubs do not wish to incur and in many instances their existing carts may not be suitable for application of the curtains. Therefore, when a golfer is playing on a course which does not provide golf carts equipped for inclement weather, that person is subject to being uncomfortable or to interrupting the game. While a golfer's home course may possibly provide weather-proof carts, it is quite likely that in today's mobile society that same golfer will travel on vacation or for business reasons and play on many courses that do not have such carts.